Stuck in neutral on $400,000 driveway

Brian Lockhart

Updated 1:02 pm, Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Photo: Morgan Kaolian AEROPIX

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A new section of road is under construction on Sikorsky Memorial Airport property, in Stratford, Conn., May 30th, 2013. The road will connect Main Street, not seen here, with Sniffens Lane, seen in the upper right. Morgan Kaolian AEROPIX less

A new section of road is under construction on Sikorsky Memorial Airport property, in Stratford, Conn., May 30th, 2013. The road will connect Main Street, not seen here, with Sniffens Lane, seen in the upper ... more

A new section of road recently constructed on Sikorsky Memorial Airport property, in Stratford, Conn., June 9th, 2013. Manuel Moutinho's home can be seen here in the upper left. Morgan Kaolian AEROPIX

A new section of road recently constructed on Sikorsky Memorial Airport property, in Stratford, Conn., June 9th, 2013. Manuel Moutinho's home can be seen here in the upper left. Morgan Kaolian AEROPIX

Photo: Morgan Kaolian AEROPIX

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A new section of road recently constructed on Sikorsky Memorial Airport property, in Stratford, Conn., June 9th, 2013. The road connects Manuel Moutinho's home, seen here in the lower right, with Sniffens Lane, upper left. Morgan Kaolian AEROPIX less

A new section of road recently constructed on Sikorsky Memorial Airport property, in Stratford, Conn., June 9th, 2013. The road connects Manuel Moutinho's home, seen here in the lower right, with Sniffens Lane, ... more

A pair of Bridgeport residents checks out the new City of Bridgeport-owned driveway recently completed to access the waterfront home of Mark IV Construction owner Manuel Moutinho, on Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

A pair of Bridgeport residents checks out the new City of Bridgeport-owned driveway recently completed to access the waterfront home of Mark IV Construction owner Manuel Moutinho, on Wednesday, June 5, 2013.

BRIDGEPORT -- City Council members Tuesday missed out on a chance to further probe the $400,000 gravel driveway they unwittingly built to a millionaire developer's waterfront mansion in Stratford.

The council's Ordinance Committee was scheduled to meet with members of Mayor Bill Finch's administration, including acting Purchasing Director Berndt Tardy, to discuss tightening the city's purchasing rules.

The meeting was canceled Tuesday morning at the suggestion of Council President Thomas McCarthy, D-133.

"I'm on the United Way board and the board is having its retreat tonight and all day tomorrow," McCarthy said in a voice mail. "Because it's my (proposal) I've asked them to cancel and reschedule."

McCarthy said the review is likely to require several meetings.

Council critics are skeptical that members will probe the driveway because it could embarrass Finch, a fellow Democrat.

It was Finch's administration that quietly waived competitive bidding procedures this spring and used an emergency provision to hire Manuel "Manny" Moutinho to build his own driveway over city-owned property.

Moutinho obtained the permits from Stratford last summer, intending to pay $200,000 for the driveway.

The Finch administration said it owed Moutinho and three neighboring property owners a replacement gravel driveway as part of a planned safety upgrade at city-owned Sikorsky Memorial Airport.

A Superior Court Judge recently ruled that Stratford should have never issued Moutinho his permits. The town last week wrote to Finch that if Bridgeport did not appeal the ruling in two weeks, the city must tear up the driveway.

Council members, including McCarthy, who sits with Finch on the airport commission, have said they were in the dark over the driveway project until Hearst Connecticut Newspapers began reporting about it in June.

The mayor's office said the $400,000 was part of $3 million the council borrowed for the airport in September.

Bridgeport waited until March to take over Moutinho's permits. Then in April, Airport Manager John Ricci sought three informal quotes for the work. Moutinho's was submitted last and was the cheapest.

Those quotes only surfaced in the city's purchasing department in mid-June.

Ricci has since been placed on paid administrative leave after Hearst reported he had a long friendship and history of real estate transactions with Moutinho. The city's labor relations office is conducting an internal probe.

"Until we get a formal report from the administration on the outcome of their investigation I'm not sure how far we're going to get," said Councilman Steven Stafstrom, D-130, an ordinance committee member.

City Attorney Mark Anastasi answered some council questions on the driveway at a July 1 meeting, but provided little new insight and continued to defend the project as necessary.